UCF delegation urges Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Minority Affairs, to ask 11 states to repeal the sweeping laws
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — The anti-conversion law is being weaponised to target religious minorities, United Christian Forum (UCF) told Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of Minority Affairs.
This came as a UCF delegation called on the minister earlier this week in the national capital and urged him to ask 11 states to repeal the sweeping anti-conversion laws.
The delegation requested the minister to “issue an advisory to the state governments to repeal the anti-conversion law.”
Stringent laws that criminalise conversion have been enacted in 11 states, most of them ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The UCF monitors anti-Christian violence in the country and its delegation presented a memorandum to the minister highlighting the rising persecution against Christians.
“The minister agreed to look into our grievances,” said A C Michael, a delegation member.
The UCA News quoted Michael as saying on July 22 that they would discuss the issue further with the federal government and the provincial states concerned.
The memorandum presented to the minister has the details of persecution, including murder, false cases, social boycotts, and denial of burial grounds.
There were 727 incidents of violence against Christians in 2023, the memorandum said, and termed them “as a disturbing trend.”
In the current year till June-end, “a staggering 361 incidents of targeted attacks” against Christians were reported, it said.
Chhattisgarh tops the list with 96 incidents, followed by Uttar Pradesh, which has 92 cases. Both the states are ruled by the BJP and have the anti-conversion law in force, which bans religious conversion by using force or allurement.
“The primary reason for these attacks“ was the false allegations of fraudulent (religious) conversions,” the memorandum noted.
It said that “police collude with the right-wing groups” to target Christians, who make up a mere 2.3 percent of India’s 1.4 billion people.
The delegation also told the minister that Christians were mercilessly beaten to death for their faith even when the country’s Constitution guaranteed religious freedom.
On July 12, a four-member delegation led by Archbishop Andrews Thazhath of Trichur, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, called on Prime Minister Modi and expressed concerns over the increasing hostility Christians face.
